Casting Off Shadows
by Solora Goldsun
Summary: After a draining unum of guarding the imprisoned Skeksis, Rian finally returns to Domrak, and to the much-needed comfort of Deet's smile. (No Garthim Wars AU. Rian/Deet.)


**Hello again, my lovelies! I'm here with my first fic from a special AU I created: the No Garthim Wars AU! In this version of Thra, the Gruenaks escaped the Castle. This means that skekTek didn't have the tissue he needed to create the Garthim, and the Gelfling had fair warning of the Skeksis' attempts to build an army. I may decide to write a longer fic depicting this alternate war in the future, but for now, I'm going to be typing happy fics that take place in the aftermath.**

**In this universe, the Skeksis are imprisoned at the Castle until the day of the Great Conjunction, and a rotating guard of Gelfling and Podlings keep a constant watch on them. Here, we see Rian coming back from guard duty.**

**Enjoy!**

Deet had just finished filling her satchel with glow moss when a series of taps echoing down the tunnel caught her attention. She knelt, pressing a large ear to the stone as one of her clanmates tapped a message.

"Find Deet. Rian is back."

Wings shooting upward nearly as quickly as her heart, Deet leaped from the ledge and flew toward her home as quickly as she could. As she drew closer, she could hear echoes of a warm, familiar voice intermingling with the laughter of her fathers and brother.

"You must be twice as tall as you were an unum ago!" Rian exclaimed. "Keep it up, and you'll be bigger than Gurjin!"

A delighted giggle from Bobb'N rang through the caves like music. Deet's already-wide smile grew even more at the sound. Even after an unum of tedious guard duty at the Castle, Rian's easygoing kindness hadn't changed a bit. It was no wonder Bobb'N looked up to him so much.

"Here, punch my arm! Show me how strong you've gotten!"

Deet landed in front of her house and peeked in the doorway just in time to see her brother punching Rian's arm. The Stonewood soldier reeled back theatrically, clutching the spot with his other hand.

"Ow! Bobb'N, you're too strong for me! The pain! Oh, the pain!" Upon noticing Deet, Rian's expression brightened even further, his blue eyes shining in the dim light and his ears twitching with excitement.

Bobb'N pointed to Rian excitedly. "Deet, look! I'm stronger than Rian!"

"I can see that," Deet chuckled. Without another word, she closed the distance between her and Rian, pressing a kiss to his lips and wrapping her arms tightly around his middle.

Rian readily returned the embrace, pressing Deet as close to him as possible, as if erasing all space between them would make up for the unum they had spent apart from each other. "I missed you," he murmured, moving back just enough to speak.

Mitjan cleared his throat gently. "Deet, why don't you give us the glow moss? We'll take care of feeding the herds today."

"That's right," Lath'N said, his eyes holding all the understanding of one who knows very well what it's like to be in love. "You two should get caught up. We won't expect you until dinner."

"You're gonna stay for dinner, right?" Bobb'N piped up.

Rian reached over to ruffle the young Gelfling's hair. "Of course! I need you to tell me all about what's been happening in Domrak. No one knows better than you, after all."

Bobb'N smirked proudly. "That's right. I know everything that's going on!"

Deet started to take off her satchel, stopping when Rian placed a hand on her arm.

"Why don't I help you feed the nurlocs? I'd like to see how much they've grown since last time," he suggested.

Deet's wings fluttered excitedly. "Of course! They'll be so happy to see you!" She grabbed his hand, pulling him toward the door. "Bye, Fathers! Bye, Bobb'N!"

"Have fun," Mitjan called.

The two ran through the tunnels, their joyful laughter bouncing back to them from the luminous walls. Rian gladly let Deet take command, guiding him away from the Gelfling dwellings and toward the clan's nurloc herds. Her hand was cool, rough, and comforting. He squeezed it a little tighter as they rounded a corner.

Deet paused, glancing over her shoulder. There was a slight flicker in Rian's expression, which caused her to stop running entirely. "Is everything all right?" she asked, stepping close and touching his cheek, brushing some of his hair back.

Rian smiled, leaning into her palm. "I'm just glad to be out of the Castle. Being around the Skeksis for that long is nearly enough to drive one mad."

"But don't you take shifts?" Deet asked. "And I thought the Mystics are there to help keep them in line."

Rian shook his head. "They keep the Skeksis from regaining their strength, but most of the actual guarding falls to us. skekGra and urGoh are the only ones who actively help. urLii puts forth a bit more effort, but he gets tired easily. None of it stops the Skeksis from threatening us, taunting us about how many Gelfling had to die to imprison them…" He trailed off, the memory leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.

Deet stepped closer, pulling Rian into a long, firm hug. Even without dreamfasting, she knew he was remembering Mira, Maudra Fara, and the others who hadn't lived to see this new era of peace. "I'm sorry you had to listen to that," she murmured. "You've already suffered so much because of them."

"I want to hurt them when they say things like that," Rian said, his voice barely reaching a whisper, a touch of shame coloring his words. "The only thing that stops me is that I don't want to hurt the urRu, even when they're being infuriating."

"Even without the urRu," Deet murmured. "You wouldn't harm someone who can't fight back, evil or not."

"If I had stayed there any longer, I might have," Rian admitted. His ears drooped as he glanced downward. "Does that bother you?"

"No," Deet replied. "Everyone has their limits. That's why guards only stay for one unum, right?" She drew back with a gentle smile, tilting Rian's head toward hers and making sure he was meeting her gaze. "You're doing wonderfully, Rian. You're keeping Thra safe until the Great Conjunction, and I'm so proud of you!"

The sheer warmth and genuine pride in Deet's voice made it impossible to remain gloomy. As Rian looked into her dark eyes, he felt the last shadows from the Castle falling from his shoulders like cobwebs. He leaned in, touching his forehead to hers, closing his eyes as she started stroking his cheek with her thumb. "I love you so much," he sighed.

Even though she had heard Rian utter those words many times, Deet still blushed as brightly as the first time whenever he said them again. "I love you too," she whispered.

After a moment, she stepped back, grabbing his hand again. "Now, come on, sky-baby! The nurlocs will get impatient if we keep them waiting!"

Rian laughed as he ran with her down the tunnel. "We can't have that!"

As they reached the end of the path, which jutted out above the nurloc caverns, Deet handed her satchel to Rian and took to the air. "Ready?"

Rian put the satchel on and opened it, revealing the blue, glowing lichen within. "I'm ready."

Deet did a small loop in the air before swooping down, lifting Rian in her arms and hugging him to her chest. As they flew over the nurloc herds, they were greeted with the unique, echoing wail that the large worms made. One particularly big one recognized Rian and shot upward with a delighted bellow.

Rian yelped at the sudden approach, barely remembering to throw some moss. He relaxed as the nurloc eagerly snapped up the treat, then moved toward the duo more slowly, letting Rian pat its nose.

"Good boy," he said, grinning when the creature started to emit a blue glow.

The nurloc burbled hopefully, opening its mouth again.

"Now, now," Deet scolded gently. "Don't get greedy. Your friends need to eat too." She started to fly Rian toward the next nurloc when a sudden jolt of pain caused her to drop suddenly. She yelped, flapping her wings desperately to keep from falling. _Not now…_

Rian cried out as they lost altitude, then glanced up at Deet as she tried to right herself. He could see the beginnings of a purple glow on her face. "Deet, we need to land. Now."

Deet didn't reply. All of her energy went into delivering air to her lungs and remaining in the air long enough to clamor onto the nearest ledge. She let Rian go once they were safe, then promptly crawled to the rocky wall, pressing her back to it as another painful pulse shot through her, accompanied by glowing violet veins in her arms.

Rian kept his distance, even though he wanted more than anything to hold her close until the darkened episode ended. He didn't, however, because he knew it would only upset her more. That was one thing Deet was adamant about: No one but a healer was allowed to touch her when the darkening acted up.

"It's okay, Deet," he said, keeping his voice steady even as he watched her wince repeatedly, watched her gentle eyes take on the sickening purple glow of the cracked Crystal. "I'm here. You're going to be okay. Just breathe. In slowly, then out. Can you hear me?"

Deet let out an agonized gasp as she tried to regulate her breathing. She clenched her fists as a wave of nausea threatened to raise its head. She beat it down desperately. _Why now? Why today, of all days?_

The sickening wrongness of the Crystal filled her, sullying every drop of blood in her body, making her vision hazy, making the inside of her mouth taste like a bitten tongue. She curled up into a ball instinctively, even though she knew it wouldn't help.

After what felt like a ninet, the pulses started to become more spaced out. Then, they took the form of an occasional shudder. Finally, they stopped entirely.

Rian was tense, watching Deet as she slowly managed to sit up. "Are you okay?"

Deet took a rattling breath. "Yes," she replied. "I…I think I'm fine now."

Rian nodded, but didn't move just yet. "Can I touch you?"

"Please," Deet gasped. Now that the pain was gone, every fiber of her body ached for the familiar comfort of Rian's arms.

Immediately, Rian scooted over to Deet, gathering her into his lap, pressing soft kisses into her hair. He could taste the sweat on her skin. "You're okay, love," he murmured. "I'm right here. You don't have to move an inch. Just rest."

Deet weakly grasped at the front of Rian's rough tunic, her breaths shaky, her body still trembling. "I'm sorry," she muttered once more of the tremors subsided. "Looks like I ruined your first day back."

"You could never ruin anything," Rian assured her, hugging her tightly. "Did you see Naia this unum for healing?"

"Not this time," Deet replied. "Gurjin came to Domrak to take care of that. He says he'll start traveling here at the beginning of each unum. Eliona will come when he's on guard duty."

"I'm glad to hear that," Rian said, rubbing her back between her wings, glad that he could feel some warmth returning. "And don't ever apologize for your condition. I'm here for you, no matter what."

He gently tilted her face toward his, glad to see the beginnings of a smile there. "And don't forget: You helped save Thra from the darkening. You're probably the greatest hero of all of us."

Deet's ears dipped modestly. "I wouldn't go that far," she murmured, though her smile widened a little.

Rian kissed the corner of her mouth, then leaned back against the wall, shifting into a more comfortable position. "What else have I missed?" he asked. "You had planned to visit Brea this unum, right? How is she?"

"Wonderful!" Deet said. "Rek'yr is courting her officially, now."

"Really?" Rian raised an eyebrow. "Does that mean more bones?"

"Oh, stop!" Deet rolled her eyes.

"No, seriously. Do bone gifts play a part in the courtship?"

"Rian!"

"…Is the courtship over when she has a full skeleton?"

"You are terrible!" Deet laughed, swatting Rian's shoulder harmlessly.

Color was already returning to her cheeks, hastened by her laughter. Rian let out a silent sigh of relief. _At least she's recovering quickly. If Aughra remains vigilant with the Crystal, things shouldn't get worse._

Deet snuggled against Rian, resting her head in the crook of his neck as he continued to rub her back and stroke her hair. "So, Rian?" she piped up. "How do the Stonewood Gelfling court ladies, if not with bones?" Her voice held a light teasing lilt.

"Badly," Rian replied with a wholly unashamed smile. "Honestly, we just make it up as we go. It's a bit sad, actually."

"Is that all Stonewood, or just you?" Deet asked, her face the picture of innocence.

Rian turned his head away with an exaggerated huff. "Well, now my feelings are hurt. I'm wounded! So very wounded…"

Deet giggled, sitting up a little. "I'm so sorry. Let me help." She gently tugged the collar of his shirt downward and pressed a lingering kiss to his chest.

Rian's breath hitched, his eyes drifting shut as Deet moved up slightly to kiss his collarbone, then his neck, then his cheek. He eagerly met her cool lips with his, unable to stop smiling.

If it wasn't for the fact that Deet had just had a darkened fit, he would have suggested moving to a more soundproof area to continue things. Instead, he kissed her deeply once, then hugged her against his chest, inviting her to remain in his lap for a bit longer. He could feel her still-strained muscles relaxing under his touch.

Deet suppressed a yawn. Now that the darkening had faded, she was too tired to even think of finishing with the nurlocs. All she wanted was to fall asleep right where she was. She nuzzled sleepily against Rian's shoulder, ears and eyelids drooping.

Rian kissed the top of her head. "Go ahead and take a nap. I'll wake you in a little while so we can finish feeding them."

Needing no further prompting, Deet let herself start to drift. She fumbled for a moment, searching for one of Rian's hands. She felt him shift, gently taking her hand in his. His thumb rubbed slow circles on her wrist, a constant reminder of his presence. She had missed him so much!

Rian rested his head on top of Deet's as she fell asleep, never letting go of her hand. If he looked at it under the right light, he could see the dormant darkened veins, pulsing with an occasional purple glow.

_At least I can be here for her now,_ he thought. It would be several unum, maybe a full trine, before he had to go back to the Castle, and he intended to spend that time watching over Deet and hopefully spending time with his friends and family. His mother and sister had been begging him to bring Deet back to Stone-in-the-Wood soon, so that was something to look forward to.

Rian let his own eyes close, letting the sounds of Domrak soothe his thoughts. He could hear the distant tapping of Grottan messages, the lazy slithering of the nurlocs, the scampering of Arathim legs, and Deet's steady breathing, presently unbothered by the darkening.

A soft smile settled on his face. It was good to be back.

**These two will be the death of me, especially if we get a season two that actually depicts the Garthim Wars… I both really want that, and really don't. I like the idea of the darkening becoming a sort of affliction that doesn't consume Deet, but still requires constant care. I hope that's what ends up happening in the next season, because seeing my poor baby all alone, cut off from everyone she loves, would be too much for me.**

**Expect more No Garthim Wars fics in the future, including a collection of shots featuring Jen and Kira as childlings. They'll be fluffy as hell, let me tell you.**

**Peace out!**


End file.
